What is the significance of cherubim in Exodus 25:18 for worship practices today?

The Immediate Command: Exodus 25:18

“Make two cherubim of hammered gold at the two ends of the mercy seat.”

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What Cherubim Signified in the Tabernacle

• Guardianship of God’s holiness – recalling Genesis 3:24 where cherubim guarded Eden’s entrance

• Throne attendants – “You who are enthroned between the cherubim” (Psalm 80:1)

• Messengers of mercy – positioned above the “mercy seat,” the very place God promised to meet His people (Exodus 25:22)

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Echoes through the Old Testament

• 1 Kings 6:27 – Solomon’s temple enlarged the imagery, filling the Most Holy Place with towering cherubim, reinforcing awe and reverence

• Psalm 99:1 – “The LORD reigns… He is enthroned between the cherubim”—linking worship to God’s sovereign rule

• Ezekiel 10:3-5 – visionary cherubim underscore God’s glory departing a profaned sanctuary, warning against empty ritual

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Fulfillment in the New Covenant

• Hebrews 9:5 – “Above the ark were the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat,” immediately followed by Christ’s once-for-all atonement (Hebrews 9:11-12)

• Curtain torn (Matthew 27:51) – the symbolic guardians no longer bar access; Christ has opened the way to the true mercy seat (Hebrews 4:16)

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Implications for Worship Practices Today

• Approach with reverent confidence – holy guardians remind us God is still majestic; the torn veil reminds us we are welcome

• Center on atonement – worship that bypasses the cross forgets the very place the cherubim overshadowed

• Value beauty and craftsmanship – God ordered “hammered gold”; artistic excellence can still point hearts heavenward

• Guard purity – cherubim stood sentinel against defilement; the church upholds doctrinal and moral faithfulness (1 Timothy 6:13-16)

• Expect God’s real presence – He met Israel above the mercy seat; now He indwells believers by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16)

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Living the Cherubic Pattern

• In song: lyrics that exalt God’s holiness and mercy

• In space: orderly, meaningful worship environments that communicate reverence

• In attitude: humility mingled with joy—faces to the ground like the cherubim (Ezekiel 1:11) yet hearts lifted in bold access through Christ

The gold cherubim above the ark still whisper their twin message: “God is unimaginably holy, and He is wonderfully near.” Let every gathering, from the simplest home group to the largest sanctuary, echo that same song.